Thursday, October 9, 2008

A Meal In Need Is a Meal Indeed

When my first child was born my mother came up to help out. I needed that help badly. Since my son was born two weeks before the due date I missed out on the section of the childbirth classes that dealt with what to do after the birth. I had no idea how to pin a cloth diaper or what to do with a crying baby.

My mother stayed with us, made meals for us, and got up in the middle of the night with the baby. She'd change him, bring him to me to nurse, then take him away and put him back to bed. It was wonderful.

Of course, like all good things, it had to come to an end and she had to return home and I had to learn how to do it all on my own. After about 3 weeks, when I wasn't certain I could make it through another day, a sweet friend brought over dinner and a pan of homemade cinnamon rolls. What a wonderful gift! She had a little one of her own and told me she'd learned that the best time to bring a dinner is not right after the baby's born. That's when mom gets all the help and attention. It's several weeks after the birth, when all the helpers have gone home and mom is a sleep-deprived zombie, that the gift of a dinner means the most.

I've taken her words to heart and have now perfected my "in time of need" dinner, Easy Enchiladas. When I make the dinner for my family I double the recipe and put into zip-lock bags a meal's worth, then I have extras in the freezer for a dinner later, or I can grab one and take it to a family who's had a baby, a hospitalization, or been down with the flu and haven't been able to get to the grocery store in a week. And if they've been flooded with casseroles, they can stick the enchiladas into the freezer and pull them out when they need them.

These are not "authentic" by any stretch of the imagination, but they're quick to fix, don't call for any obscure ingredients, and my family gets happy every time these are on the menu. Even my 6 year old, who dissects his food, gobbles them up.

4- Spoon about 1/4 cup of meat mixture onto each tortilla, roll the tortilla. If you're preparing the meal to eat today, place the rolled tortillas into a rectangular baking dish (11 x 7 works well). Spread the sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

To save enchiladas in the freezer, place as many as you need for a meal into a gallon zip-loc bag. In a snack-size bag, place the half cup of cheese for garnish. In a sandwich size zip-loc bag put enough sauce for topping. Seal both bags in with the enchiladas. Write baking instructions on the bag with a sharpie.

Your mom and your friend both deserve a medal of honor! Each came at your doorstep just at the right time! Delivering goodies at the doorstep is so much more "common" and appreciated in the US I think. I do that here and more often than not people look at me funny... as if I suspect them to be unable to provide food themselves. Very awkward in receiving but the stories are told for years after. Funny!

Those look wonderful. I also loved your writing. That is such an overwhelming but sweet and tender time when baby number one arrives. Even diapering and caring for a newborn can seem like monumental tasks until you learn to do it. I know that's how I felt. This would make a great drop off dinner for a friend.

I was amazed when i made this recipe for the first time (our dinner this evening)it was really delish but I think I will omit the green onions "I love green onions" but I'm not kinda liking it with the enchilada....thanks for giving such a good ideas and next time I can make my a very simple sauce and not to worry about looking for a real aunthentic enchiladan sauce -tomato sauce, cummin and ground chili works really well! Thanks again!